The best kind of beer glass is the one with beer in it. However, assuming that you want to get a little more serious about evaluating beer (which is probably why you’re asking this question), then you want a glass that highlights the important characteristics of the particular beer you are drinking.
What kind of characteristics? Appearance, for one. Overall, the beer should just look good. That’s subjective, of course, but the primary issue is color. Color is important, which is why you don’t see many tinted beer glasses. Clear glasses also allow you to better assess the beer’s clarity. This is especially important if a beer is cloudy when it should be clear.
There is also the matter of the head, which adds to appearance and aroma. In addition to looking good, the head serves an important purpose by helping to contain the beer’s volatiles (the compounds that evaporate and provide the aroma). Aroma is further aided by glasses that focus the volatiles by having a rim that is narrower than the middle.
And obviously, taste is incredibly important, and this can be influenced by how the glass affects the way the beer enters your mouth. This point might be important only to very serious tasters, but some glasses are flared in such a way so as to distribute the beer to certain (or all) parts of the mouth.
Before we get to the types of glasses, let’s add to the “best kind of beer glass” statement at the beginning of this article by saying the best kind of beer glass is the clean, non-chilled one with beer in it. Clean should go without saying. You might see something as obvious as a bit of old food, or even an odd clump of carbonation on the side that reveals a dirty spot that otherwise would not have been visible to the naked eye. I’ll leave it to you to decide when to send a beer back, but cleanliness is crucial, especially for head retention.
Regarding chilled glasses, keep in mind that a frosty glass will dilute the beer a bit, and make it colder than it should be and possibly be cold enough to numb, or at least dull, your taste buds. A lot of beers should be served at a temperature much higher than freezing, so colder is not better.
That said, there are several common types of glasses from which to choose, along with countless proprietary glasses (which are far too numerous to go into here). This list is by no means exhaustive, but these types of glasses should cover most styles. You might not get your choice when you go to any old bar, but it can’t hurt to ask the bartender or server.
Pint Glass
The most common type of beer glass is the pint glass. And a gambler would bet that you usually drink out of a shaker pint glass. This is the pint glass you see everywhere, and gets its name from its intended use as one half of a cocktail shaker. It does the job, insofar as it has a bottom and sides and will sufficiently direct beer into your mouth if your aim is true. But shaker pint glasses are considered the plastic cup among beer glassware, so there are better choices.
One of these choices is the tulip pint. At 20 oz., tulip pint glasses are larger than shaker pints, allowing room for a good-sized head. These are good for ales, stouts, porters, etc.
Nonic pint glasses are also 20 oz., and equally good for head accommodation. Nonics have a ridge to facilitate stacking (which is generally not a drinker’s concern) and provides an easier grip (which is a drinker’s concern, especially after a few).
Pilsner Glass
These glasses are narrow with a straight taper to highlight the color, carbonation and clarity of the pilsner style. The wider mouth helps maintain a healthy head.
Weizen Glass
These are tall to accommodate the sizeable head that many wheat beers are known for. The shape of the bottom helps hold the yeast in the bottom of the glass and the shape at the top holds in the aroma. The glass is thinner on many weizen glasses as well, highlighting the beer’s color.
Snifter
Snifters have a short stems, wide bowls and narrow openings. These are an excellent choice for strong ales. The narrow mouth accentuates the aroma and the smaller size helps slow you down.
Tulip Glass
These are an excellent all around choice for a few reasons. The inward taper helps contain the aroma, and the flared mouth helps distribute the beer more evenly when drinking. And, for even more serious tasters, the stem allows you to hold the beer without warming it with your hand.
Goblet
As with snifters, some goblets can be a great choice for strong ales, and for the same reasons—small size and inward taper. Other goblets are larger and not tapered, but meant to look good. And some are designed to maintain particular size head. This is accomplished by etching the bottom of the glass. This provides a nucleation point for the carbonation, so there is a constant stream of bubbles emanating from the point, steadily feeding the head.
Fluted Glass
The narrow shape and taper of flute glasses help maintain carbonation, highlight the color, and focus the aroma. These are a great choice for lambics and fruit beers, but also for a wide range of other styles.

Again, you probably will not get your choice of glassware at a lot of places, but there is plenty of overlap among these styles. Knowing the concepts behind the features—inward taper, flared mouth, for example—will at least help you choose a glass that will highlight all that is good in your beer.